UK Lead Generation Podcast

James Dooley:
So if I am looking to grow my scaffolding business, what would you recommend? Where should I invest my money to generate more enquiries?

Kasra Dash:
If you're looking to grow a scaffolding business, I’d recommend a holistic approach of being seen in as many places as possible. It’s not always an emergency niche—people might need scaffolding for solar panels, roof repair, house extensions, or commercial projects. There are many different plays you can make. You’ve got SEO, where you're optimising pages and building backlinks to rank higher in Google. If someone searches “scaffolding in London,” you're trying to show up in position one. Then there's the Google Business Profile, where reviews are crucial. You’ve got PPC ads, where you pay per click, not per conversion. There’s traditional marketing like TV, radio, billboards, and magazines, although I’m not a massive fan because you can’t always track the KPIs. Organic social media is another route, posting daily about jobs you’ve completed. Then you’ve got social media ads, targeting specific demographics.

James Dooley:
We work at FatRank.com with many scaffolding companies, and we offer a lead generation service with guaranteed return on investment. You only pay on converted jobs. It’s a great strategy for consistent enquiries. But I wouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. Don’t rely on one source—diversify. Fat Rank is one option, but I also recommend places like Bark, Checkatrade, and MyBuilder. The big difference is they resell leads to four or five companies, whereas ours are exclusive. Now, touching back on SEO, PPC, and other marketing methods—if you were a scaffolding company looking to grow, what would you say works best?

Kasra Dash:
Lead generation probably works best, but to diversify, I’d outsource my SEO. A scaffolder isn’t an SEO expert, so hire an agency and vet them properly. If you need help choosing one, fill in the form at Fat Rank and we’ll guide you based on your area and services. If you’re doing SEO yourself, build out location pages—commercial scaffolding in 10 or 20 different locations. Another cheap method: put signs on the scaffolding you install. You already have the structure there, so add your own signs—it’s basically free marketing. You could also create a scaffolding wrap with your number and email. Once you’ve printed signs, you can use them for multiple jobs.

Instagram organic works well—post photos of your work. Google Business Profile is essential; get as many reviews as possible so you show up for “scaffolding near me.” I’m not a big fan of PPC because it’s expensive and, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can lose money quickly. There’s click fraud—competitors can click your ads, costing you £35–£40 per click. You also get window shoppers who don’t fill in the form.

James Dooley:
Another major point is business owners getting obsessed with SEO ROI. They think if they spend £3,000 a month on SEO, they must bring in a certain amount of work. But SEO is a long-term play. If you can generate your own leads from your site—ranking for all your service types and locations—your business becomes more valuable if you ever want to sell. If you're relying 100% on PPC or lead generation companies—even though I run a lead generation company—that’s not good long-term. Use lead generation to grow consistently, but also invest in brand-building and reputation online. If you’re equal on price with a competitor and customers look you both up, reviews and branding can be the deciding factor. Plus, generating your own leads increases the valuation multiplier when selling your company.

Kasra Dash:
Exactly. And if you want a consistent flow of enquiries, fill in the form at FatRank.com. The URL is in the description—see if your business gets accepted.